Council candidates present opening arguments

By N. Clark Judd

Onlookers in the crowd of about 60 who attended a candidates forum presented by the Association of Riverdale Co-ops at PS 24 on May 26 said both incumbent City Councilman Oliver Koppell and his opponent, former Community Board 8 chairman Tony Cassino, made strong first impressions. It was the first time the two had presented their cases side by side.

Mr. Koppell emphasized his experience, which includes a stint as New York State attorney general and decades in the Assembly, and Mr. Cassino — now head of Board 8’s traffic and transportation committee — hung his case chiefly on his own experience as a volunteer in the neighborhood.

Both men are seeking the Democratic nomination for the City Council District 11 seat in a Sept. 15 primary election. The winner will, presumably, face opponents from other parties in the November 3 general election. Only registered Democrats may vote in the party’s primary.

“I think the race is Councilman Koppell’s to lose,” said David Epstein, 31, who lives on Independence Avenue. “And so I think Mr. Cassino did a good job showing why he might be qualified for it, but in my mind Councilman Koppell still showed his [accomplishments].”

Not everyone believed both candidates performed equally well.

“I don’t know if I want to be quoted taking a … side, but it seemed to me that the incumbent seemed to be less than honest,” said Nils Graham, 43, of Amalgamated Houses.

He said he was referring to the involvement of Mr. Koppell’s wife, real estate lawyer Lorraine Coyle, in the deal that consolidated the land for a now halffinished and derelict 12-story apartment building on Oxford Avenue at Tulfan Terrace. The tower is now in foreclosure.

Mr. Koppell said during the forum that the city should do all it can to see to it that the Tulfan Terrace project is completed, because it’s still “brand new.” But he didn’t mention his wife’s role in the development.

Construction halted in 2006 after about two years of work. Mr. Cassino advocated tearing the building down.

“It seems like [Mr. Cassino] was more about what he’s going to do, versus what he has done,” said Robert Tolentino, 30, of Netherland Avenue. He said he’s leaning towards Mr. Cassino.

His wife, Isaura, 29, spoke with Mr. Koppell after the forum about property tax reform for co-ops.

“Every time there’s issues, I always see him on the front line,” Ms. Tolentino said. But she, too, was impressed by Mr. Cassino.

Mr. Cassino, in his closing arguments, said he wanted to “sweat the small details” and described organizing drives to relax alternate-side parking regulations and encourage communication between schools. He also played a role in tightening zoning to limit the size of tall buildings in Riverdale, as did Mr. Koppell.

Mr. Koppell discussed his decades of public service, during which he got involved in the creation of the high school at David A. Stein Riverdale/ Kingsbridge Academy, MS/HS 141 and the reappropriation of the Whitehall annex for use by Riverdale schools. He also routed City Council funding to projects like The Robert J. Christen School, PS 81 playground, Seton Park, and better-looking wooden guardrails for the Henry Hudson Parkway.

When asked directly, Mr. Koppell said he had no aspirations to office beyond his council seat. Mr. Cassino said it was hard to look beyond the council before joining it.

Another Democratic challenger, former Riverdale Jewish Community Council Co-President Ari Hoffnung, announced on his blog the night of the forum that he was withdrawing from the race.

This is part of the June 4, 2009 online edition of The Riverdale Press.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you. Click here.